Barddhaman Junction (station code: BWN) is a major railway junction in the city of Bardhaman (also spelt Burdwan), the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the Howrah–Delhi main line and is one of the busiest stations in the Eastern Railway zone of Indian Railways. The station serves as an important interchange between long-distance mainline services and the Howrah–Bardhaman suburban network of the Kolkata Suburban Railway.
| Station name | Barddhaman Junction |
|---|---|
| Station code | BWN |
| Location | Bardhaman, Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal |
| Country | India |
| Owner | Indian Railways |
| Operator | Eastern Railway zone |
| Division | Howrah railway division |
| Lines | Howrah–Delhi main line; Howrah–Bardhaman chord; Bardhaman–Asansol section; Bardhaman–Katwa line |
| Electrification | Yes (25 kV AC overhead) |
Bardhaman is situated about 95 km north-west of Howrah on the Bhagirathi–Damodar plain. The town has historically been an administrative and commercial centre, and the railway station has long acted as the principal gateway to the Rarh region of West Bengal. The junction connects services running towards Howrah, Asansol, Dhanbad, the Sahibganj loop towards Rampurhat and onward to Malda, as well as the branch line to Katwa.
The line through Bardhaman was opened by the East Indian Railway Company as part of the original Howrah–Delhi route. The Howrah–Hooghly section was inaugurated in 1854, and the line was extended westward in stages, reaching Bardhaman the same year and Raniganj in 1855. This makes Barddhaman one of the earliest railway stations established in the Indian subcontinent.
The shorter Howrah–Bardhaman chord, branching from Dankuni and bypassing the older main line via Bandel, was commissioned in 1917, giving the station a second connection to Howrah. Electrification of the Howrah–Bardhaman main line and chord was completed in the 1960s, allowing electric multiple unit (EMU) suburban services to operate up to Bardhaman.
The narrow-gauge Bardhaman–Katwa line, originally built by the McLeod's Light Railways, was later taken over by Indian Railways and converted to broad gauge; the converted section was opened to traffic in stages, with full broad-gauge services to Katwa commencing in the 2010s. Subsequent gauge conversion linked Katwa onwards to Azimganj.
In January 2018, a portion of the foot overbridge at the station collapsed, prompting major repair and modernisation work on the station's overbridges and platforms.
The station has multiple platforms handling mainline express trains, passenger trains and suburban EMU services. Mainline platforms primarily serve trains running on the Howrah–Delhi route towards Asansol, Dhanbad, Patna, Mughalsarai and Delhi, as well as services towards Malda Town, Guwahati and other destinations in eastern and northern India. Suburban platforms are used by local EMU trains operating between Howrah and Bardhaman via both the main line (through Bandel) and the chord line (through Dankuni).
Bardhaman is also the originating point for several local services towards Katwa, Rampurhat and Asansol. The station houses booking offices, reservation counters, waiting rooms, and basic passenger amenities, and is integrated with city bus and auto-rickshaw networks for onward travel within Bardhaman.
As a junction on one of the trunk routes of Indian Railways, Barddhaman handles a high volume of both passenger and freight traffic. It is a key commuter hub for daily travellers to Kolkata and supports the economy of Bardhaman and surrounding agricultural districts known for rice cultivation. The station is also significant for students and visitors travelling to the University of Burdwan and other institutions in the city.